Pump Priming Collaboration
‘ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPACT OF THE RUSSIAN INVASION ON THE CULTURAL HERITAGE AND CREATIVE INDUSTRIES OF UKRAINE ‘
TITLE: “Assessment of the Impact of the Russian Invasion on the Cultural Heritage and Creative Industries of Ukraine.”
FOUNDER: British Academy
COORDINATOR: Bath Spa University (UK)
PERIOD: 17.03.2025 – 08.09.2025
FUNDING: £ 9,994.00
PROJECT NUMBER: PPHE25\100608
CLUSTER: Culture, Creativity, Inclusive Society
OUTCOME: Innovative research on European cultural heritage and cultural and creative industries
PARTNERS:
Bath Spa University (Bath, UK)
Academician Stepan Demianchuk International University of Economics and Humanities (Rivne, Ukraine)
Yurii Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University (Chernivtsi, Ukraine)
Kyiv School of Economics (Kyiv, Ukraine)
Szkoła Wyższa Psychologii Społeczne (Warsaw, Poland)
PROJECT TEAM of IUEH:
Coordinator: Alina Kruhliak, Head of the International and Project Department
Researchers:
Viktoriia Artiushok, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs and Quality of Education.
Iryna Budz, Head of the Department of Romance and Germanic Philology.
Volodymyr Starzhets, Associate Professor of the Department of History, Theory of State and Law and Philosophy.
Vitalii Levytskyi, Head of the Department of History, Theory of State and Law and Philosophy.
DESCRIPTION:
Academician Stepan Demianchuk International University of Economics and Humanities as part of a consortium of Ukrainian higher education institutions led by Bath Spa University (UK), implemented the Pump Priming 2025 grant project. Funding for the project was received from the British Academy grant, which enabled the launch of international cooperation in the field of research on the impact of war on cultural heritage. The proposed project aims to develop cultural strategies that promote peacebuilding and reconciliation, using creativity and cultural heritage as tools for recovery and dialogue in post-conflict settings.
Central to this project were three interrelated desk studies (up to 5000 words each, written in English) that had assessed the impact of the war on Ukraine’s cultural heritage and creative industries: these provided the critical research on the resilience of cultural heritage and the creative industries as well as offer invaluable snapshots of Ukraine’s cultural heritage and creative industries during a time of war. They had been written by researchers at three Ukrainian universities: the International University of Economics and Humanities (IUEH), Chernivtsi National University (ChNU), and Kyiv School of Economics (KSE). Drawing on official sources, news reports, academic articles, published data sets and other trusted sources, each desk study has provided an up-to-date and wide-ranging assessment of the material and economic impact of the Russian invasion on Ukraine’s cultural heritage and the creative industries, including mitigations and innovative responses.
The project primarily engaged with the ‘innovative’ priority as it will be underpinned by a recognition of: the value of cultural heritage and the creative industries for individual wellbeing, societal cohesion, and European values; how they contributed to soft power, international cooperation, and intercultural understanding; and how their resilience lead to a more inclusive and resilient society and a more innovative economy.
ACTION PLAN
Mid-March 2025:
The beginning of the project;
Online meeting of BSU with Ukrainian researchers to discuss scope and alignment of desk studies;
April 2025:
Online meeting of BSU with Ukrainian researchers and consortium partners to discuss progress;
Additional consortium partners identified.
May 2025:
Drafts circulated among Ukrainian researchers and consortium partners;
Additional consortium partners identified.
Early June 2025:
Revised drafts discussed at Warsaw workshop with researchers from BSU, IUEH, ChNU, KSE, SWPS (in person) and consortium partners (online);
August 2025:
Desk studies completed and published;
Consortium finalised and initial bid-draft completed.
Septemper 2025:
Project report completed;
All project material is published.
TWO-DAY WORKSHOP IN WARSAW
On June 17-18, 2025, a delegation from Academician Stepan Demianchuk International University of Economics and Humanities made a working visit to WSPS University (Warsaw, Poland) to participate in a workshop with Ukrainian and British partners. The workshop was led by Ian Gadd, Head of the Development for European Projects at Bath Spa University (UK), and was attended by scholars and project management experts from three Ukrainian universities.
During the meeting, the scientists reported on the results of the preparation of a joint report as part of the Pump Priming Collaboration grant project. The scientists also discussed the stages of preparation for participation in the new project, analysed the key areas of cooperation, the structure of the future consortium, and agreed on the main tasks, expected results, and distribution of roles within the project.
OUTCOME:
The report, developed by Ukrainian partners, is available in English and Ukrainian, which documents the profound losses of tangible and intangible cultural heritage because of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It highlights the destruction of cultural sites, the disruption of creative industries, and the broader implications for national identity and cultural resilience.
The report includes such chapters:
CHAPTER 1. The Material Impact of the Russian Invasion on Ukraine’s Cultural Heritage
CHAPTER 2. The Economic Impact of the Russian Invasion on Ukraine’s Cultural Heritage
CHAPTER 3. The Material Impact of the Russian Invasion on Ukraine’s Creative Industries
This report is available in English and Ukrainian
English version: https://doi.org/10.17870/bathspa.30084532
Ukrainian version: https://doi.org/10.17870/bathspa.30084574
Please cite the report as:
Artiushok V. , Zhavoronkova M., Kyrychenko K. and others (2025) Report: Assessing the Impact of the Russian Invasion on Ukraine’s Cultural Heritage and Creative Industries, ed. I. Gadd and A. Kruhliak, Bath Spa University and Academician Stepan Demianchuk International University of Economics and Humanities, 56 p., DOI: 10.17870/bathspa.30084532
AUTHORS OF THE RESEARCH REPORT:
CHAIR OF THE EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
Ian GADD, Professor, Head of Development for European Projects, Bath Spa University (UK)
AUTHORS:
Academician Stepan Demianchuk International University of Economics and Humanities (Ukraine)
Alina KRUHLIAK, Head of the International and Project Department (lead editor)
Viktoriia ARTIUSHOK, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs and Quality of Education
Iryna BUDZ, Head of the Department of Romano-Germanic Philology
Volodymyr STARZHETS, Associate Professor of the Department of History, Theory of State and Law, and Philosophy
Vitalii LEVYTSKYI, Head of the Department of History, Theory of State and Law, and Philosophy
Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University (Ukraine)
Myroslava ZHAVORONKOVA, Head of the Department of Decorative, Applied and Fine Arts, Associate Professor, Honored Master of Folk Art of Ukraine
Khrystyna KRYLIUK, Leading Specialist of the International Relations Department
Kyiv School of Economics (Ukraine)
Kostiantyn KYRYCHENKO, Vice-Rector for International Cooperation
Oksana DOVHOPOLOVA, Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences
Anton LIAGUSHA, Academic Director of the Memory Research Program